Pedaling for a cause in Mauritius

October 2016 │ Mauritius

On Sunday, October 9, the sunny island nation of Mauritius saw over 630 cyclists pedaling for a cause, as they participated in the 12th annual Deutsche Bank Mauritius 100km Cycle Tour, the largest cycling event in Mauritius.

The event is Deutsche Bank’s flagship Corporate Responsibility event in Mauritius, with proceeds raised going to two selected non-profits in the country – IMOVE and Elle C Nous, which do a laudable work for the personal development of underprivileged children and women in Mauritius. Over and above the funds raised, Deutsche Bank Mauritius further contributed an equal amount, doubling the total funds available for charity.

The race event attracted professional cyclists from Europe and South Africa, as well as staff from across the Asia Pacific region who were invited to participate as part of Deutsche Bank’s regional volunteer exchange programme.

Yogida Sawmynaden, Mauritius Minister of Sports, attended the launch of the race at the bank’s premises. The cycling race took place from Plaine-Magnien to Mont- Choisy. Three race tracks were on the program - 100 km, 50 km and 20 km. French cyclist Sylvain Georges won the race beating the record of South African Martin Wesemann, the winner in 2011.

“I am pleased to see that this year, we managed to attract more participants and hence we raised more funds from riders than in the previous years,” said Friedrich Philipps, Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank Mauritius.

Apart from participating in the race, staff volunteers also got an opportunity to work with local non-profit organisations, and gain an understanding of the issues facing the country. This included a day spent refurbishing a shelter, gardening along with children from impoverished backgrounds and helping out at a pet adoption drive. For the race, several Deutsche Bank volunteers played the role of hospitality ambassadors on the day of the race and helped out in the logistics.

Commending the efforts of all those involved, Philipps said : “The organisation of the Cycle Race, the volunteering trip and the staff event was a powerful demonstration of the team spirit here in Deutsche bank Mauritius as well as across APAC.”

In a note to the Deutsche Bank volunteers, APAC CEO Werner Steinmueller said: “It is the spirited contribution of the time and energy of our people that makes this event especially meaningful and represents the best of our bank.”

Reflecting on one of the volunteering activities, a staff volunteer had this to say: “Our role was to come and understand the local situation and hopefully make a positive difference to the children’s lives, but the children gave us back more.”